Lakeshore and Chatham-Kent pocket millions through Housing Accelerator Fund

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The municipalities of Lakeshore and Chatham-Kent are next in line to receive millions in federal funding to fast-track affordable housing.

Federal officials on Monday announced that Lakeshore will secure $7 million and Chatham-Kent $10 million through the Canadian government’s $4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund, which will ramp up the construction of a combined 508 homes over the next three years, and spur 3,570 in the coming decade.

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“That’s how your federal government is solving the housing crisis,” MP Irek Kusmierczyk (L — Windsor-Tecumseh) said in a news release Monday.

“Working with Chatham-Kent and Lakeshore, we are going to make sure families have a safe, affordable place to live.”

The funding announcement follows nearly six months after Lakeshore council approved a zoning by-law amendment allowing up to four units “as-of-right” on residential properties — a key requirement for securing the federal dollars.

This condition had earlier disqualified the City of Windsor, having opted not to amend its zoning bylaws, from locking down $30 million in housing funds, and an additional $40 million if targets were met. Last March the Town of Tecumseh nabbed $4.38 million in federal funds to fast-track affordable housing.

“This will allow us to really set the framework for how we will choose to grow,” Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey told the Star Monday.

However, with gaps in water and wastewater infrastructure, Bailey explained that while the funding is a crucial first step, it is not a “silver bullet” and will require continued collaboration with senior levels of government.

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“We are an aging population, just like several others across the province,” said Bailey.

“The challenge is that we simply don’t have housing for our senior parents, and we don’t have housing for our children. So, in order to look at today and also look forward into the future, the size of the homes that are currently being built in Lakeshore don’t match what our need and demand are.”

Lakeshore has agreed to promote “gentle density,” by providing incentives to building affordable housing and repurposing municipal land.

The municipality will also create a Housing Acceleration Team in collaboration with the University of Windsor’s Centre for Cities and other community stakeholders.

Chatham-Kent will use the funding to permit four residential units “as-of-right” in urban areas, along with encouraging Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs) and mixed-use developments of four or more stories along key corridors.

“This will help to get shovels in the ground as myself, council and administration are doing everything we can, within our power, to get housing units built,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff.

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“Access to housing, for all income levels, is essential to keep our community healthy, safe, and strong economically for our residents throughout the communities that make up the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.”

Chatham-Kent will also introduce an e-permitting system to speed up approvals and launch an online dashboard for building permits and land use planning.

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